The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-02-18
0KEFENOKEE SWAMP.
OASIS WHERE THE SEMINOLE CHIEF
TOOK REFUGE IN 1896.

Account Of q Tramp Through the Swami
A Little Moss-Clad Island In til
Marsh-stuck In q Quagmire-An Il,
hausted Party.
Okefenokee, the great swamp on I'll
southern border Of Georgia, extending aero
into Florida, has for century been my
terry. 1t was the great retreat for the Sem
mole Indians. In the center Of this immens
swamp is an oasis, beautiful spot midwa
between Belly's island and the Koddenbur
settlement. 1t was in this spot that Bill
Bowlegs, the great Seminole, took refuge i
1886 and successfully defled the attempts G
the whites to capture him. Strange tale
are told in the neighborhood Of fugitive
finding safety there who subsisted on tn
abundance of fish and game. The story Q
an authenticated exploration Of this spot
told by Mr.. Charles Pendleton, who in com
pany with Ben Marlborough, local scout
and others penetrated the thick jungle whic
leads to it, His story runs thus
Scamp Casena," as our party christene'
it, was dry knoll covering about nn acr
in the midst Of marsh extending for miles
apparently north and south, and sevcra
miles east and west. It was nearer, as i
turned out, to tho eastern swampwood thai
to the western. Its center was perhaps eigh
feet above the level of the surrounding
marsh, and it tapered Off to the watcrs edge
A dwarfed cypress which capped its summit
was Immediately surrounded by smaller ones
like courtiers around prince; and next tt
these, widening the circle, came tho smaller
casenns, like those of lesser rank. Then the
gallberry and tyty tapered to the earth,
forming tho outer guard, armed with bamboo
and shielded by creeping vines. The
phalanx was so solid, the armament SO per-
feet that no man or beast could penetrate it
save by hidden path which perhaps nature
had left for an ingress and egrcss to the
fauna Of that region; or, more likely, the
more powerful bear had broken through to
find lair. The whole from tho topmost
cypress bough to the least tyty was draped
with gray moss mingling with the nut brown
leaves of autumn, the myriads of crimson
casena berries and the evergreen tyty-pre-
senting picturesque cone perhaps nowhere
else seen. The marsh surrounding this queer
spot varies in water depth from three inches
to four feet Underneath the water the mud
varies in solubility, some places being ex-
tremely soft and dangerous to the pedestrian.
But for bonnet roots and the thicker growth
of maiden cane no man could cross it. The
wonder is that anything but wcbfoot ever
did.
Our party did cut their way through tyty,
bamboo and what not for three days prior
to the morning of entering the marsh, and
at first it was somewhat of relief to be able
tt trudge forward with long view ahead
without having to fight and dodge through
4 l,4 r1-.1 Df
change brought rested muscles into action,
and for few hours we moved forward with
greater rapidity than at any time since enter
ing the swamp. The compass pointed the
way, and that brave band of explorers
never hesitated when one sank to his armpits
and had to be pulled out by his fellowship
civil engineers chain often serving for that
extra use-nor did they turn back when it
became necessary to detour around an occa-
1onal alligator hole, distinguished by pair
or more Of those huge amphibious creatures
circling the dark water with their young.
But the strain on the muscles of the lower
limbs never relaxed. We could not sit down
and rest. About noon the mon began to
show signs of unusual fatigue. The dark
swampwood, such rs we had been in for
three days, could be seen distinctly ahead,
but it was quite as far or further than we
had tramped that morning, and the outlook
was not at all cheering. Some distance short
Of that now coveted region gray object
loomed up before our vision-right ON our
Iine-and we rightly OWNED that it was
little moss clad island in the marsh. We
must reach it at all hazards before night.
We halted for lunch-hard tack and bacon
but there was no place. as stated above, to
sit down and rest the weary feet. One poor
fellow found banner root near the surface
If the water, which he sat upon to crush it
and sink in the mud and water up to his
neck. A young man in the party, whose
spirits never tagged, no matter how sore his
'eet were, sang out: "Push along, boys; keep
moving Let's eat when we reach yonder
sland" But DR.. Little, the sea geologist,
who was with the party, insisted that we
should stop, if only for few minutes, and
,at, for it would give us strength for the
afternoons tramp. The wisdom of his sug-
,estion was at once seen by all, and we ate
from the scanty store in our packs,
continually shifting the weight from one foot
% the other, and as often moving the re-
eased foot to prevent its sinking too deep
nto the mud. It was not feast of the
rods.
We pressed on with hope and fear. We
hought we could reach the little island, as
t seemed to us, by nightfall if no lake or
water lay on our route; and who
,ould tell what was ahead in that despicable
bog? The thought of encountering deep
AXE was not at all pleasant. The day quite
zone, possibly, and not a dry tussock within
light or ten hours tramp! No place to sit
n lie, much less to sleep, on a chill Novem-
Der night. No torch; no lantern; the COM
BASS in our hands would fail to keep us from
round and round in the darkness
md gloom and mud as most men do, it is
aid, until daylight. If human endurance
,ould stand the strain until them 1t is not
pleasant to think about the possible situation
lftcrward.
About 3 in the afternoon a few drifting
LIQUIDS, apparently thrown together just over
n front of us by counter currents of air,
brought forth light shower, and the declin
ng sun at our backs produced beautiful
'ainbow which spanned directly across our
quite eastward. 1t was an unusual sight for
he time of year. When we at last APP
,roached within hundred yards of the little
,asis above described, we encountered the
everest quagmire we had yet seen. All
long we had been measuring the distance
raveled with chain, that instrument being
handled by n cOllnla of negroes Here there